A Home
by Trinity Everett
Summary: A few days before Christmas, Kate wakes up to a surprise at home. - A follow-up piece to A Hobby and A Gift.


_This is a follow-up to A Hobby and A Gift. Prompted anonymously on tumblr: _**Threequel prompt for the pictures story: a few days before Xmas Kate wakes up on morning to find their wedding pics frames in places on the loft and then finds a pic of JB on the piano (like in a recent bts pic) Her reaction to Castle doing that.**

**A Home**

* * *

The loft is quiet, too quiet.

It hasn't even been a week since Gates pulled her aside at the Christmas party, warning her of the DA's complaint and the mayor's order before her boss moved to Castle to be the one bearing bad news. It hasn't even been a week since she watched her husband's broad shoulders slump as he tried to put on a brave face for her, not knowing she was doing the same for him. It hasn't even been a week since his raggedly whispered confession from his seat – his seat, only his – in her cruiser and the bone-crushing hug she'd given him as soon as she was able to park the car.

It's been a weird not-quite week.

Even weirder is the fact that he's not here now.

Today wasn't supposed to be her day off, but after the grisly case she'd been working for the last three days, Gates called in reinforcements for her entire team and sent the three of them home for the next day. She'd been looking forward to waking up gradually, feeling Castle's warmth at her back and the press of his feet against her ankles, but instead she wakes alone.

At least the indentation of his body is still warm, so he hasn't been gone long. Hopefully it means he hasn't gone very far either.

He's not in the bathroom. There's no splatter of running water, no hum of the hair dryer he insists he never uses, no bellowed show tune melodies he chooses to blame on his mother.

Another glance at his side of the bed tells her his phone is gone. He probably scooped it off the nightstand and dumped it into the pocket of his robe to keep it from waking her. In its place, though, is one of the frames she recognizes from her father's gift a few weeks ago.

Oh, Castle. He put their wedding picture on his bedside table. Their own glowing, happy faces smile back at her as she stares.

Common sense makes her immediately regret the decision to throw the covers off her body, but her mad scramble for her robe is moderately successful in warding off the chill. Jamming her feet into her slippers helps even more.

"Castle?"

No answer. Huh, maybe he isn't home. Where would he have gone? His publishers are surprisingly happy with his work rate right now, and sales _are_ still good, so she doesn't think he's been called into an emergency meeting at Black Pawn.

A quick check tells her he's not in the office, either. Though in her search, her eyes find the wedding album displayed on the shelf behind his desk. It wasn't there yesterday, that much she knows.

Her slippers scuffle on the floor as she finally makes her way into the living room. Even though the sun peeks through the slats in the blinds, someone has turned the Christmas lights on anyway.

As overwhelming as it can be sometimes to have jumped back into Christmas, it_is_ beautiful in here. Castle really does turn their home into something wonderful each year. No, _they_ turn their home into something wonderful. All four of them.

Thumbing her wedding ring, she looks around again. God, her mom would love it here. Her mom would look at the little ways their lives have mingled and she'd be ecstatic.

She has to do a double take when her gaze lands on her mother's face. Oh, he'd… put her mom right there between a smiling photo of Alexis and Martha and the dance her father had captured.

And slightly behind them is a photo of her father. God only knows which box Castle had to open to find it.

Her heart stutters. Their entire family is there. Right there on the piano. Her parents, his daughter, his mother, and the two of them.

"Hi."

His voice is quiet, but he's so close, she can't help but startle.

"Jeez, Castle, you scared me."

"Sorry." His face twists sheepishly. "I uh, ran out for coffee. We're out of … I'll go to the store later, don't worry."

Stepping into him, her fingers cover his, curling around the travel mug of her second favorite blend. His skin is cold to the touch; did he run out in his sweats just to buy her coffee?

Pressing her mouth to his jaw, she attempts to breathe warmth back into him. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that, but thank you."

Castle smiles under her lips, waiting until she takes the mug completely to wrap an arm around her waist. The coffee is great, but this, this makes it even better.

"When did you do all this? The pictures? The album in your office?"

"This morning, early. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't write, and then I saw the pictures and the album were still in the bag from when your dad came over, so I just put them out. Then I remembered the picture of your mom and I brought that out. And I didn't want to exclude your dad, so I found that picture you had by your computer in your office… and I put that out, too. Was that… I mean was that okay?"

Fisting a hand in his hoodie, she pulls him down for a kiss. It's not what he'd been expecting, if his surprised huff is anything to go by, and that only makes her kiss him harder.

"I love it. Thank you," she breathes, smoothing her hand over the steady thud of his heart. "I love it all."

With that, he relaxes under her hand, melting against her lips. Plucking his coffee from his fingers, she settles both mugs on the piano bench.

"Alexis is at school?" she asks, tugging the zipper on his jacket down before he has the opportunity to confirm.

"Yeah, her last final started… twenty-five minutes ago."

"Mhmm, and your mom?"

"Audition and then lunch with an old friend."

"Good."

The jacket hits the ground behind him. Her robe follows a second later.

"Plenty of time to show you how _much_ I like this surprise," she purrs, pulling him in for another slow kiss.

"Beckett," he pulls away, panting. "In front of your mother and everything?"

Now the impish grin is back on his face and it's one she can't help but match. Her eyebrows wiggle.

"I don't think she'll tattle on us. Come on, Mr. Castle. Couch or under the tree?"

His hands skim down her back to cup her butt. Oh, now they're warm. His eyebrows wiggle right back. "Why not both, Mrs. Castle? Why not both?"


End file.
